ARHIVELE OLTENIEI - Universitatea din Craiova

AN ATTEMPT OF MODERNIZATION IN CRAIOVADURING THE SECOND WORLD WAR: THE TRAMWAYAND TROLLEYBUS SERVICESŞERBAN PĂTRAŞCUIn 2007 two decades will be completed since, on the streets of Craiova,crossing from one end to another, the tramways had been circulating.The initiatives of the local authorities regarding the introduction of thismean of conveyance, emerging from the desire of modernize Craiova, are datingfrom the end of the 19 th century and the beginning of the 20 th century. This is theperiod when, one after another, the famous mayors like Ulysse Boldescu andNicolae P. Romanescu, or their successors M. Quintescu and C. M. Ciocazan,had tried, unsuccessfully, to solve “the tramways problem” 1 . The motives fortheir failure were multiple: starting with the bankrupt of the bank that was aboutto finance the project or some disagreements with the grantees regarding theterm for the network exploitation, and ending with the refusal of the Germansociety, responsible with the lighting, to supply the energy necessary for thetramways to function.Somehow surprisingly, the actions were restarted with even moredetermination even during the Second World War, when they succeeded increating a tramways and trolleybuses service. But the people from Craiova won’thave the opportunity to see tramways on the streets of theirs city. Plus that, thenew created service, will reveal to be extremely costly and, after the Sovietscanceled it, Craiova would deal with a lack of any kind of public transportation.I. The captured material: Damaged Tramways and TrolleybusesFavorable circumstances constituted the base for the decision ofCraiova’s local authorities.First, we must notice that, although the war was carried on, the city’seconomic and social life continued. ”Craiova – said the mayor – is the onlyadvantaged city in our country in which the activity is carried on, the shows goon, the market is well supplied” 2 .1 For all these attempts see more information in Mitu Andreescu, Chestiuneatramvaielor la Craiova, Craiova, Tipografie – Legătorie de Cărţi F. Constantinescu, 1911, 37 p.; awork presented by Ion Pătraşcu in Almanah ’98. Fundaţia Scrisul Românesc, Craiova, AusromPublishing House, 1998, p. 218-219.2 Buletinul Oficial al Municipiului Craiova, an. II, nr. 11, 1st– 15 th September 1941,p. 8-9.ARHIVELE OLTENIEI, Serie nouă, nr. 21, 2007, p. 79–86